Author Archives: Mark Kersten

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About Mark Kersten

Mark Kersten is an Assistant Professor in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada, and a Senior Consultant at the Wayamo Foundation in Berlin, Germany. Mark is the founder of the blog Justice in Conflict and author of the book, published by Oxford University Press, by the same name. He holds an MSc and PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a BA (Hons) from the University of Guelph. Mark has previously been a Research Associate at the Refugee Law Project in Uganda, and as researcher at Justice Africa and Lawyers for Justice in Libya in London. He has taught courses on genocide studies, the politics of international law, transitional justice, diplomacy, and conflict and peace studies at the London School of Economics, SOAS, and University of Toronto. Mark’s research has appeared in numerous academic fora as well as in media publications such as The Globe and Mail, Al Jazeera, BBC, Foreign Policy, the CBC, Toronto Star, and The Washington Post. He has a passion for gardening, reading, hockey (on ice), date nights, late nights, Lego, and creating time for loved ones.

Uganda’s Controversial First War Crimes Trial: Thomas Kwoyelo

On July 11, I had the opportunity to attend some of the beginning of the first trial of Uganda’s International Crimes Division of the High Court, in Gulu, Northern Uganda. On the stand is Thomas Kwoyelo, a former senior Lord’s Resistance … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty, Human Rights, International Criminal Court (ICC), Kwoyelo Trial, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Southern Sudan, Sudan, Transitional Justice, Uganda, War crimes | 12 Comments

Guest-Post at Opinio Juris: Libya and the “Peace versus Justice” Debate

I have been honoured by the opportunity to write-up a guest-post over at the widely-read and respected international law blog, Opinio Juris, entitled “Trying to Get to the Bottom of the “Peace versus Justice” Debate in Libya” (click here to read … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Libya, Libya and the ICC, Peace Negotiations | Leave a comment

Buying Justice: The Supply, Demand and Cost of ICC Justice

Imagine the following scenario: Assume that the people of Libya and Syria are all represented by one individual each who is charged with requesting that the human rights violations and atrocities in their respective nations are investigated by the ICC. … Continue reading

Posted in Crimes against humanity, Funding, Human Rights, Ivory Coast / Côte d'Ivoire, Libya, Libya and the ICC, Sudan, Syria, Transitional Justice, UN Security Council, War crimes | Leave a comment

Why the ICC should Think Twice before Investigating Conflicts with Roots Before 2002

Many readers will know that I am spending three months conducting research on the effects of the International Criminal Court’s investigations and arrest warrants on the conflict between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). As previously … Continue reading

Posted in African Union (AU), Human Rights, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Justice, Peace Negotiations, Uganda | 2 Comments

US Negotiating with the Taliban: Bargaining with the Devil?

This week’s news that the US is negotiating with the Taliban in Afghanistan may have come as a shock to some. It has, however, been part of a long and heated conversation about how to resolve the seemingly unwinnable war … Continue reading

Posted in Afghanistan, Human Rights, Justice, Pakistan, Peace Negotiations, Taliban, United States | 2 Comments

Bashir to Visit China, US endorses it: But What Does it Mean?

While Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir won’t be visiting Malaysia due to “other engagements,” it looks very likely that he will, in fact, be visiting China. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Bashir, wanted by the ICC for his role … Continue reading

Posted in China, Darfur, ICC Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Sudan, United States | 1 Comment

Bashir to Malaysia? The ICC and Marginalizing Indicted Leaders

This week, Malaysia joined the ever-growing group of states which have considered inviting Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to visit (note: it is now apparent he will not visit – see below). With the exception of a tiny minority of world … Continue reading

Posted in China, Darfur, International Criminal Court (ICC), Kenya, Malaysia, Peace Negotiations, Ratko Mladic, Serbia, Sudan | 4 Comments

Why Uganda is Our Best Chance to get to the Bottom of the Peace-Justice Debate

Most of the academic and political attention that the International Criminal Court (ICC) receives these days comes from Sudan and Libya. There is little doubt that the investigations of Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi have captured the imagination … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty, Central African Republic (CAR), Crimes against humanity, Darfur, Democratic Republic of Congo, International Criminal Court (ICC), Kenya, Libya, Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Peace Negotiations, Traditional Justice Mechanisms, Uganda, War crimes | 13 Comments

Off to Uganda: Peace and/or/with/versus Justice

Dear Readers, I am off to Uganda today to begin almost three months of research on the effects of the ICC’s investigations and arrest warrants on peace processes and negotiations in Northern Uganda. In particular, I will be focusing on … Continue reading

Posted in International Criminal Court (ICC), Transitional Justice, Uganda | 1 Comment

Before you go Supporting Exile for Gaddafi, Beware of What You Assume

Each time a conflicted and fragile society resolves to confront a murderous, tyrannical or dictatorial ruler, a similar question inevitably surfaces: should the ruler and his cabal be allowed, or even encouraged, to go into exile? The logic in support … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty, Exile, International Criminal Court (ICC), Libya, Libya and the ICC, Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Yemen | 3 Comments